Guilty as charged! Supreme Court Upholds Ex Taraba Governor, Nyame’s 12 Years Jail Term
Justice Mary Odili-led five-man panel of Supreme Court justices on Friday, February 7, 2020, in a unanimous judgement upheld the Appeal Court sentencing of former governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame to 12-years in prison for stealing funds belonging to his state, while he served as governor.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, prosecuted the ex-governor on a 41-count charge, bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds and obtaining valuable public properties without consideration for which the trial court in 2018, pronounced him guilty on 27 of the charges, sentencing him to 14 years for criminal breach of trust, two years for misappropriation, and seven years for gratification and five years for obtaining valuable public properties without consideration, all which run concurrently.
However, at the Court of Appeal, the sentence was reduced to 12 years, with fines ranging from N100million to N5million, imposed on him.
At the apex court today, Justice Odili-led five-man panel of justices upheld the 12-year prison sentence of the Appeal Court.
Justice Amina Augie, while delivering the lead judgement, stated that Nyame’s appeal against his conviction and sentence, lacked merit.
The Supreme Court, however, ruled that the Court of Appeal ought not have imposed fines on the convict and therefore relived him of the fines.
